MSM-Finance Admission Information

Weatherhead Philosophy of Recruitment

The Weatherhead School of Management admissions team is committed to recruiting a community of students with diverse perspectives and a range of educational, professional and life experiences. These experiences, along with demonstrated student excellence, enrich the dialogue and teamwork in the classroom. We look for applicants who are interested and interesting.

After clicking “submit,” you will not be able to make any changes to your application form, resume or essays, but you will be able to log back in later to upload transcripts and test scores. All required documents must be submitted in order to be considered.

Once your application is complete, you may receive an invitation to interview. Interviews are by invitation only.

Any application that remains incomplete at the end of the admissions period will be denied.

Application Requirements

When reviewing your profile for admission consideration, the Weatherhead admissions team requires the following (click each category for full details about the admission requirements):

Before you can officially submit your application, you must fill out the online application form. This form captures the following information: contact information, demographic information, educational history and employment history. Along with this form, applicants are also required to submit (upload)

All applicants are required to answer two essay questions before the application can be submitted. Each essay has a limit of 500 words.

Essay 1 (required response): Describe your motivation for pursuing a master’s degree. How does it fit with your long and short-term goals? How have your academic, career or life experiences prepared you for this program? What strengths will you bring, and what knowledge and insights are you hoping to develop during this learning experience? Are there any concerns about your application that you would like to address?

If your undergraduate degree is not in the discipline of finance, please explain your interest in this field and why you would like to pursue it now in your educational career. How did you become interested in the topic and what are you hoping the program can offer you?

Essay 2 (choose from the following three topics and indicate in your response which topic you are addressing):

Describe a situation where your academic or professional ethics were challenged and how you dealt with the situation. What did you learn from the experience?

What is the most difficult feedback you have received, and how did you address it?

Throughout our lives, we have significant experiences, or “milestones,” that have a lasting impact on us. Briefly describe such an event and its impact on you.

A current resume is required before your application can be submitted. The resume should include all work experience including part-time work as well as internship and co-op employment. Please be aware that your resume cannot be updated after you click “Submit.”

All applicants are required to submit unofficial transcripts from all post-secondary education (undergraduate or graduate schools) where you have earned a degree. Separate transcripts are also required if you received any transfer credit from another university. Please upload your transcripts in the “Transcripts” section of the online application. This can be done before or after clicking “Submit”).

Only unofficial transcripts are required for the completion and review of an application. Please do not send us your official documents during the application process. If you are admitted and you decide to enroll, we will require your official transcripts then. Please note: official transcripts must state the degree earned and the date the degree is conferred. If not, you must also provide an official degree certificate from your school stating the above information.

REQUIREMENT: CUMULATIVE GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA)

If you have earned a degree outside of the United States, Weatherhead School of Management requires that your transcripts state your cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) or total average score on any numeric scale. This must also include the grading scale used to calculate it.

If your transcripts do not state your cumulative GPA or total average score and your grading scale, you must also submit one of the following:

An official GPA Certificate from your university stating your cumulative GPA or total average score on any numeric scale (examples: 88/100, 3.5/4.0, 3.8/5, 7/10)

The grading scale used to calculate your GPA

A course-by-course transcript evaluation from either the World Education Services OR Educational Credential Evaluators (see contact information below)

NOTE: Your application will remain incomplete until one of the above documents has been received.

Advantages of having a transcript evaluation:

Evaluated GPA’s tend to be higher than those stated on many international transcripts.

If you are an international student, it confirms that your degree is the equivalent of a four-year bachelor’s degree in the United States.

You may also send electronic copies to more than one school.

When ordering your transcript evaluation, you do not have to pay to express mail the report to us. Simply request that a copy be sent electronically to the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University by selecting our school in their drop down box. We will also accept unofficial or student copies that are uploaded to the application.

THREE YEAR BACHELOR’S DEGREES

If you have or will have earned a three-year bachelor degree, you may also be required to submit a transcript evaluation prepared by WES or ECE along with your transcripts. Weatherhead School of Management will recognize a three-year bachelor’s degree as long as the evaluation indicates that the degree is equivalent to a four-year bachelor’s degree in the United States.

Before you apply or begin an evaluation process, visit the World Education Services website and use their free “WES Degree Equivalency” tool to see if your degree granting institution is recognized as the equivalent of a four-year degree in the U.S. If your degree is not listed as such, you will need an evaluation from one of these agencies (no preference). If the tool says your degree is recognized as the equivalent of a four-year degree, please take a screen shot and upload this to your application in the Transcripts section.

Your application will remain incomplete until the WES or ECE evaluation has been received. Offers of admission will not be binding until we have verified your degree.

The Weatherhead Admissions team reserves the right to require additional verification of transcripts, grading scales or official certificates that are uploaded to your application. If documents are not authentic or inaccurate, we will deny admission.

The MSM-Finance admission team accepts either unofficial GMAT or unofficial GRE exam results. We do not have a minimum test score requirement.

You will upload your unofficial score report in the “Test Documentation” section of the online application (either before or after clicking “Submit”). Official score reports are only required if an offer of admission is extended and you choose to enroll in the MSM-Finance program.

Please Note: You should only submit a score report if you are satisfied with your most recent score. If you plan to retake the exam in hopes of earning a more competitive score, please wait to upload your new report since you will not be able to change it after you submit.

Applicants whose native language is not English must submit an English language exam. We accept either TOEFL or IELTS. Applicants can upload their scores to the “Test Documentation” section of the online application before or after submitting their application.

An applicant who possesses one of the following qualifications can obtain a waiver:

Completion of an undergraduate or graduate degree with instruction exclusively in English. (Make sure your transcripts state that your education was in English.)

Three years full-time work in a country where English is an official language.

If you qualify for a waiver of the English language exam, you must indicate this in the “Test Scores” section of the application. Waiver qualification will be verified.

All applicants must enter the names, relationship, and contact information of two individuals who will provide a letter of recommendation on the applicant’s behalf. Once the contact information is entered by the applicant, the MSM-Finance admission team will notify the recommender by email to upload their letters to the applicant’s online profile. It is our recommendation that each applicant follow up with his or her recommenders to ensure timely submission of the letters of recommendation. The application will remain incomplete until both letters of recommendation have been received.

Applicants are prompted to pay a non-refundable $100 fee when they submit their application. Credit card payments are preferred, but checks are accepted. If an applicant chooses to mail a check, he or she must indicate check in “Payment Type” and then mail the payment to the address below:

Please note: Credit card payments are automatically added to an application. If you choose to pay by check, your application remains incomplete until the admissions office has received the check.

Offers of admission cannot be extended for incomplete applications. We reserve the right to deny admission if an application remains incomplete by the Round 3 deadline or because of inaccurate information or documentation.

Each supporting document must be uploaded to your online application for admission consideration. Some applicants require time to take the GMAT or GRE. Considering this, our team may interview applicants who have not yet taken either test (or who plan to retake a test for a higher score) but whose undergraduate transcripts and work history demonstrate high performance. Please note: An offer for admission cannot be extended with an incomplete application package. Weatherhead does not offer conditional admission under any circumstances. We reserve the right to deny admission if an application remains incomplete by the Round 3 deadline.

Deadlines

The MSM-Finance program has three application rounds shown below and each application round has a deadline to submit and a deadline to complete (finalize) your application.

In order to receive a decision by any of the Notification Dates, applicants must meet both the Submit and Complete deadlines in a given application round. Applicants interested in scholarship consideration (merit based) are encouraged to apply early for optimal scholarship availability.

Please tap or put your cursor on this icon to see the definition/details.

Submit By

Complete By

Notification Date

Round 1

Submit By:November 16, 2016

Complete By:November 30, 2016

Notification Date:January 13, 2017

Round 2

Submit By:January 11, 2017

Complete By:January 25, 2017

Notification Date:March 24, 2017

Round 3

Submit By:March 15, 2017

Complete By:March 29, 2017

Notification Date:April 28, 2017

* Rolling basis will begin in May

** Notification three to four weeks after completed application is received

An offer of admission cannot be issued if an application package remains incomplete. If an application remains incomplete by the final Round deadline, Weatherhead reserves the right to withdraw or deny the application.

Program Start Dates

All students are required to attend orientation prior to the start of the program. Orientation dates will be announced shortly. Fall 2016 classes begin August 29.

The Weatherhead School of Management is different from other business schools. We are bold in our ideas, creative in our approach, and adaptive in our interactions within a changing business environment. We've enhanced traditional management education by integrating the fundamentals of business with ideas and practices that change individuals, organizations and societies. At Weatherhead, we develop leaders as good global citizens who innovate to create sustainable value.Founded in
1939.
weatherhead@case.edu